Tim Seifert’s stellar cameo did the trick for the Sharjah Warriorz as they sealed a stunning six-wicket win against defending champions MI Emirates in their winner-takes-it-all, DP World ILT20 Season 3 Eliminator clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday evening. Tim Seifert’s 40 off 20, coupled with Tim Southee’s two-wicket haul takes Sharjah Warriorz a step closer to the title as they will next face the Desert Vipers in Qualifier 2 on Friday for a spot in the final.
Sharjah Warriors upstaged defending champions MI Emirates in the Eliminator to advance into the second qualifier of the ILT20 2025 season. Captain Tim Southee led the Warriors from the front with a ball in hand, before Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert went berserk in the run-chase.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report: “This is the first time this pitch is being used at night. But there were 200+ scores in the afternoon games. There is a lovely covering grass. At first glance it looks like a good T20 wicket. See off the first 2-3 overs and the ball will come on evenly. This pitch is the highest-scoring in the tournament,” reckon Alan Wilkins and Wasim Akram.
Toss: Sharjah Warriorz skipper Tim Southee won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the playing XI with Adam Zampa making way for Harmeet Singh in the playing XI. Mumbai Indians Emirates skipper Nicholas Pooran who also wanted to bowl first made two changes in the playing XI with Zahoor Khan and debutant Will Jacks in the playing XI.
Skipper Tim Southee’s 2 wickets overpowers Nicholas Pooran’s 42 runs as MIE reaches 146 for 8 in 20 overs
MI Emirates opener Andre Fletcher failed on the big day as the West Indies star was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Sharjah Warriorz fast bowler Adam Milne (1-29) in the first over of the match. His opening partner Will Jacks responded with three confident boundaries to reach a near run-a-ball 18 before getting knocked over by Ashton Agar (1-20). With both openers gone, the Emirates reached 48-2 at the end of the six-over powerplay phase.
The MI Emirates innings didn’t get off on the best note as Andre Fletcher fell to Adam Milne in the first over. Tom Banton and Will Jacks combined to put up 34 for the second wicket before an inspired bowling change earned the Sharjah Warriorz their second wicket.
Ashton Agar was brought on in the sixth over and he repaid his captain’s faith right away as he got Jacks with a quicker one that skidded off the surface. However, Nicholas Pooran came out all guns blazing as he hit 4,4,6 to get things underway and lead the MI Emirates to 48/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Tom Banton and captain Nicholas Pooran lifted Emirates’ scoring rate in the middle overs, with the latter leaving his mark with a sizzling 22-ball 42. Banton also carved 29 runs from 25 balls with four boundaries, but a sharp caught-and-bowled from Rohan Mustafa (1-20) curtailed his well-set stay by the time the Emirates reached 73 around the halfway stage of the innings.
Banton and Pooran looked in sound form and the Englishman kept the scoreboard ticking and overtook Shai Hope to soar ahead in the race for the Green Belt. Banton’s stay came to an end in the 10th over as Rohan Mustafa took a stunning catch to dismiss him for 29. Mustafa bowled a flighted delivery and showed great reflexes to stick his right hand out and grab onto a sharp catch. At the halfway mark, the MI Emirates had 75/3 on the board.
Pooran spearheaded his side’s scoring duties as he dealt only in boundaries to 42 runs off just 19 deliveries. He played the perfect captain’s innings and became only the third batter to score 1000 runs in the tournament but was undone in the 13th over by Dilshan Madushanka. The Sri Lankan hit the deck hard with a short ball and Pooran was beaten for pace.
Bevon Jacobs fell in the next over after failing to dispatch a full toss and the MI Emirates found themselves at 101/5 with six overs to go. Interestingly, the MI Emirates had not lost a single wicket to spin in the six matches they played in Abu Dhabi this season but they lost three wickets on the evening.
Dilshan Madushanka (1-31) got the prized scalp of Nicholas Pooran in the 13th over of the MI Emirates innings, courtesy of a well-judged catch from wicketkeeper Tim Seifert. Dangerman Bevon Jacobs also failed to lead his team to recovery, despite biding his time for 12 deliveries at the crease, as his full-blooded slog off Sharjah Warriorz spinner Harmeet Singh (1-17) merely landed towards Tom Kohler-Cadmore at long-on.
Warriorz captain Tim Southee further strangulated Emirates’ run-flow with the wickets of Kusal Perera and Romario Shepherd in the slog overs to claim tight figures of 2-24. With no notable contributions after Nicholas Pooran’s cracking 42, the defending champions reached just 146-8 from their 20 overs.
The Sharjah Warriorz swapped spin for pace in the 17th over as Southee came on and struck right away. Kusal Perera hit a six off the first ball but holed out the next delivery as Southee dismissed him for 18 off 12. It went downhill thereon for the Sharjah Warriorz as Romario Shepherd, who was dropped twice, trudged back to the pavilion for seven runs in the 19th over. The Sharjah Warriorz’ brilliant bowling display saw them restrict the MI Emirates to 146/8 in 20 overs.
Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert’s batting prowess powers SW to Qualifier 2 vs DV
Chasing a modest total of 147, the Sharjah Warriorz were off the blocks in a jiffy as Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles struck five fours in the opening two overs to put up 23/0. Charles went after Alzarri Joseph in the third over as he cut it away for a boundary and then launched a massive six as the Sharjah Warriorz motored on.
Charles was in sublime form as he slashed away on a ball that was outside the sixth stump for another boundary and put up 27 runs off just 12 deliveries. The Saint Lucian batter didn’t spare any bowler as he next went after Muhammad Rohid and hit him for back-to-back boundaries. The young UAE bowler, though, made a fine comeback as he undid Charles with a short-pitched delivery. He departed for a well-made 36 off 20 and Jason Roy was the next man to come in.
Chasing 147, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles got the Sharjah Warriorz off to a flier with a 49-run opening partnership in less than five overs. Charles smeared seven boundaries and a six in his attacking 20-ball 36 at the top of the order, until the hard-hitting West Indies opener nicked one towards MI Emirates wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran off Muhammad Rohid just before the powerplay.
The Sharjah Warriorz looked well-poised to chase down the target as they amassed 58/1 at the end of the powerplay with Kohler-Cadmore in fine form. Kohler-Cadmore and Roy strung together a fine partnership as they took their side to 87/1 at the halfway mark and they needed exactly 60 runs off 60 deliveries.
Nonetheless, Kohler-Cadmore continued the good work for Warriorz by sharing a calculated 52-run partnership for the second wicket with number three batter Jason Roy (26 off 24). The two cricketers steered their team past the 100-run mark around the first 12 overs of the innings.
The MI Emirates needed a couple of quick wickets to work their way back into the contest and found their big breakthrough in the 13th over. Rohid was brought back in the attack and turned the tide in the MI Emirates’ favour as he dismantled Roy’s stumps to give his side some breathing room. It only got better for the local lad as he struck again two balls later when Will Jacks took a catch at cover to dismiss Matthew Wade. Rohid, thus picked up two massive wickets in the over and gave the MI Emirates a route back into the game.
Fast bowler Muhammad Rohid kept MI Emirates in the hunt with the quick wickets of a well-set Jason Roy and newcomer Matthew Wade to claim astonishing figures of 3-32 from his four overs.
The momentum, though, was still with the Sharjah Warriorz as they were at 101/3 and needed 46 runs from the final seven overs with as many wickets in hand. Tim Seifert played a gem of an innings as he ensured he scored a boundary in each of the next three overs to take his team closer to the target.
Kohler-Cadmore’s patient innings was snapped by Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, after the Englishman played it onto his stumps for 40 off 40.Fazalhaq Farooqi also tightened things up with the wicket of Tom Kohler-Cadmore for a run-a-ball 40 during the decisive stages of the run-chase.
Fortunately for the Warriorz, wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert bludgeoned 40 unbeaten runs from just 20 balls with five boundaries and two sixes to steer his team to a huge six-wicket win in just 18.5 overs. The Warriorz will now face Desert Vipers in the second qualifier of the ILT20 2025 season on February 7 in Sharjah.
His dismissal served as a scare among the Sharjah Warriorz faithful, but Tim Seifert took control of the chase and got the job done. Tim Seifert clobbered 16 runs in the 19th over to finish with 40 runs from 20 balls and lead the Sharjah Warriorz to Qualifier 2. This was the first time the Sharjah Warriors had reached this stage of the tournament.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Nicholas Pooran the losing MIE Emirates skipper said : We were below par, we put ourselves in a hole. We have been inconsistent with the bat and it was difficult to defend on this surface where there wasn’t much assistance for the bowlers. Our bowlers tried very hard, credit must be giving to them. They have world class bowlers who stuck to Test match lengths, we didn’t have an answer for them.
We get what we deserve, we haven’t been consistent. Looking forward to the next year. This has been a difficult tournament where the ball swings quite a bit. (On Farooqi) He hasn’t been getting wickets in the powerplay despite getting wickets in other phases, so we tried different things. It is difficult because there are 9 International players, so the quality is really high.
Tim Southee the winning SW skipper said : It ebbed and flowed throughout. We stuck at it with the ball and nice to get across the line. It was good with the ball, a good collective performance. Anytime you play a knockout game there is more tension, but you don’t lose too many from being 100/1 in T20s. We made it a lot more difficult at the end, but happy to get through the game. All three venues have been brilliant in this competition, looking forward to tomorrow.
Tim Seifert Player of the Match for his 40 runs of 20 balls said : Always nice to get to that winning position. Our bowlers though did very well to get them to just 150. We did very well to pull him (Pooran) back and then the momentum shifted for us. The bowlers have been superb all tournament, the way they use the new ball has been outstanding.
(On Southee) He has done a great job for the Black Caps, always nice to play with your teammates. Just tried to be positive and putting pressure on them, they bowled very well and made things tough. Big semi-final coming, hopefully we can make it to the final.
Chasing MI Emirates’ 146-8 in Abu Dhabi, the Warriorz were in control throughout and got over the line with seven balls to spare. Tom Kohler-Cadmore made a run-a-ball 40 and put on 52 with fellow Englishman Jason Roy (26 off 24) before New Zealander Seifert finished the job. The Warriorz will now play Desert Vipers in Qualifier 2 on Friday for the right to face Dubai Capitals in Sunday’s final.
After putting MI Emirates in to bat, Warriorz captain Tim Southee was the pick of the bowlers as he took 2-24 from his four overs. West Indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran played the standout innings for MI Emirates, hitting six fours and a six in his 42 from 22 balls. Tom Banton (29 off 25) and Will Jacks (18 off 17) provided support early in the innings.
In the chase, left-armer seamer Muhammad Rohid took 3-32 for MI Emirates, including two in three balls to remove Roy and Matthew Wade, but by that stage Warriorz were 101-3 and well on their way to victory. Tim Seifert came in and ensured the job was done with time to spare.
This game shouldn’t have got as close as it did as Sharjah Warriorz were cruising through the chase for the majority of their innings. After a splendid bowling performance, they were helped by a powerful start through Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles. Both batters were blindly slogging in the powerplay before Charles was dismissed.
Kohler-Cadmore and Jason Roy then played a measured innings, always in control of the asking rate. Rohid Khan though turned the game with a couple of wickets in his third over. Zahoor Khan also bowled a very economical spell, despite not getting the wickets.
The middle order slip up meant the Warriorz were struggling to keep up at one stage, and Rohan Mustafa just couldn’t connect in his brief time at the middle. Tim Seifert though calmed the nerves with a crucial cameo of 40 to take his team through. So the Warriorz fight on and they will play on Friday against the Desert Vipers.